LATER
Annie walks up to the second floor and meets Eric walking out of their room.
"Any luck with Ruthie?" Annie asks as they stop in the hall.
"Ya," Eric informs her. "She was lacking some self-confidence in what her appearance based off what
some girl at school said to her and has a friend in desperate need of professional help and I just finished
making some calls to social service who are immediately going to investigate the case."
"What case?" Annie asks, figuring he wouldn't say, but deciding to see if he'll tell.
"Ruthie has a friend who told Ruthie that her dad was molesting her," Eric tells her. "Ruthie's friend didn't
say it in so few words, but that's basically it."
"Ugh," Annie give a sound as though her heart is sick at the thought. "How, can any parent, do such a
thing to their child?"
"I don't know," Eric replies putting an arm around his wife. "I can't even imagine what would go through a
man's head to do such a terrible thing. It makes me sick to try and even think about it."
"Then lets not think about it," Annie offers. "It's done, you've done what you needed to do, let's leave it
at that."
"Alright," Eric agrees. "Did you have any luck with Robbie?"
"Oh, not much," Annie says taking her head off Eric's shoulder. "He got teary eyed and we hugged, but he
wouldn't talk about it. It doesn't seem like Robbie. He's usually one to talk about what's on his mind."
"I know," Eric replies. "Maybe I'll try talking to him in a little bit. Right now, I want to go up and talk with
Ruthie."
"Mind if I join you?" Annie asks.
"I'd be delighted," Eric replies. "You are so beautiful, you know that?"
"And you are dashingly handsome," Annie replies. They give each other a kiss and head upstairs. Simon,
who'd been standing in his doorway walks out and stares after them. Matt walks out of his room and sees
Simon staring off into space.
"Something wrong?" Matt asks. Simon jolts back into reality and looks at his older brother.
"No," Simon replies. "In fact, everything's great." Lucy walks down from the attic. "You wanna go catch a
burger?" Simon asks Matt. "And we can see if Robbie wants to come? After all, mom hasn't fixed dinner
and seems a bit preocupied tonight."
"Sure," Matt tells him.
"Can I come too?" Lucy asks walking over towards them. "This is the second time tonight that dad has
kicked me out of my room to talk with Ruthie."
"Um, actually, I was just wanting to go out with the guys tonight," Simon tells her.
"Oh," Lucy replies half-heartedly. "Never-mind then." Lucy heads downstairs.
"That wasn't very nice, Simon," Matt tells him. "Lucy should come with us."
"Then it wouldn't be just us guys," Simon tells him.
"Ya, but Lucy's all alone tonight, and if mom and dad are preocupied with Ruthie, I don't want Lucy to feel
left out."
"But Matt..."
"But nothing Simon," Matt replies. "Either Lucy goes with us, or I'm not going. And if you were a good,
loving brother, you'd feel the same way."
"You're right," Simon gives in. "Let's ask Lucy to come too."
"Ya, but change your attitude before asking so that she doesn't feel like you really don't want her to
come," Matt warns him.
LATER
The four of them are sitting in a booth in a fast food restraunt eating dinner, Simon sitting next to Robbie
and Matt sitting next to Lucy.
"So what's going on with you?" Simon suddenly asks Robbie.
"What are you talking about?" Robbie asks.
"I mean I overheard mom saying that she'd tried talking to you and that you wouldn't talk with her, you
want to tell us so you can deal with it and move on?" Simon asks. Robbie eyes Simon who stares at him
with a questioning look. Robbie looks over at Matt and Lucy who look at him as though they have no clue
what Simon is talking about. Robbie looks back next to Simon.
"Get up," Robbie tells him.
"What?" Simon asks.
"I said, get up," Robbie says again. Simon stands scoots out of the booth and stands up. Robbie then
scoots over and stands up.
"You want to talk outside or something?" Simon asks.
"No," Robbie tells him. "I wanted you to get up so I could get out. I'll meet up with everyone at home."
With that Robbie walks out of the restraunt.
"Should I go talk to him?" Simon asks.
"No," Matt and Lucy say in unison.
"Simon, you made him feel trapped," Matt tells him. "He probably thinks that the only reason you asked
him to go out tonight was to question him."
"Well, that was the general idea," Simon tells him.
"Oh, Simon!" Matt exclaims. "I can't believe you! You're worse than dad."
"Simon, you have to be a friend first," Lucy informs him. "Unless you're a professional and people seek you
out for help and advice, people won't confide in you until you've earned their trust."
"You don't think I've earned Robbie's trust? He's been living with us for quite some time now," Simon tells
him.
"Yes he has, Simon, but I also haven't noticed you two hanging out together very much," Matt replies.
"Just hang out with him more. Go to the gym together and work out, go shoot hoops at the park or in the
driveway, work on a car together, but don't just expect him to lay all his burdens down for you." Simon
sinks back into the booth.
"Should one of you go after him?" Simon asks.
"He's old enough to take care of himself," Matt tells him. "He's not a child."
"Dad wouldn't let me go out like that," Simon replies.
"That's because your not 18 yet," Matt replies. "But with mom and dad it wouldn't matter since they got
that parental instinct about them. But you, Lucy, and I don't have that yet in our lives. So we're just
going to let him go for now."
To be continued.......................................................
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Annie walks up to the second floor and meets Eric walking out of their room.
"Any luck with Ruthie?" Annie asks as they stop in the hall.
"Ya," Eric informs her. "She was lacking some self-confidence in what her appearance based off what
some girl at school said to her and has a friend in desperate need of professional help and I just finished
making some calls to social service who are immediately going to investigate the case."
"What case?" Annie asks, figuring he wouldn't say, but deciding to see if he'll tell.
"Ruthie has a friend who told Ruthie that her dad was molesting her," Eric tells her. "Ruthie's friend didn't
say it in so few words, but that's basically it."
"Ugh," Annie give a sound as though her heart is sick at the thought. "How, can any parent, do such a
thing to their child?"
"I don't know," Eric replies putting an arm around his wife. "I can't even imagine what would go through a
man's head to do such a terrible thing. It makes me sick to try and even think about it."
"Then lets not think about it," Annie offers. "It's done, you've done what you needed to do, let's leave it
at that."
"Alright," Eric agrees. "Did you have any luck with Robbie?"
"Oh, not much," Annie says taking her head off Eric's shoulder. "He got teary eyed and we hugged, but he
wouldn't talk about it. It doesn't seem like Robbie. He's usually one to talk about what's on his mind."
"I know," Eric replies. "Maybe I'll try talking to him in a little bit. Right now, I want to go up and talk with
Ruthie."
"Mind if I join you?" Annie asks.
"I'd be delighted," Eric replies. "You are so beautiful, you know that?"
"And you are dashingly handsome," Annie replies. They give each other a kiss and head upstairs. Simon,
who'd been standing in his doorway walks out and stares after them. Matt walks out of his room and sees
Simon staring off into space.
"Something wrong?" Matt asks. Simon jolts back into reality and looks at his older brother.
"No," Simon replies. "In fact, everything's great." Lucy walks down from the attic. "You wanna go catch a
burger?" Simon asks Matt. "And we can see if Robbie wants to come? After all, mom hasn't fixed dinner
and seems a bit preocupied tonight."
"Sure," Matt tells him.
"Can I come too?" Lucy asks walking over towards them. "This is the second time tonight that dad has
kicked me out of my room to talk with Ruthie."
"Um, actually, I was just wanting to go out with the guys tonight," Simon tells her.
"Oh," Lucy replies half-heartedly. "Never-mind then." Lucy heads downstairs.
"That wasn't very nice, Simon," Matt tells him. "Lucy should come with us."
"Then it wouldn't be just us guys," Simon tells him.
"Ya, but Lucy's all alone tonight, and if mom and dad are preocupied with Ruthie, I don't want Lucy to feel
left out."
"But Matt..."
"But nothing Simon," Matt replies. "Either Lucy goes with us, or I'm not going. And if you were a good,
loving brother, you'd feel the same way."
"You're right," Simon gives in. "Let's ask Lucy to come too."
"Ya, but change your attitude before asking so that she doesn't feel like you really don't want her to
come," Matt warns him.
LATER
The four of them are sitting in a booth in a fast food restraunt eating dinner, Simon sitting next to Robbie
and Matt sitting next to Lucy.
"So what's going on with you?" Simon suddenly asks Robbie.
"What are you talking about?" Robbie asks.
"I mean I overheard mom saying that she'd tried talking to you and that you wouldn't talk with her, you
want to tell us so you can deal with it and move on?" Simon asks. Robbie eyes Simon who stares at him
with a questioning look. Robbie looks over at Matt and Lucy who look at him as though they have no clue
what Simon is talking about. Robbie looks back next to Simon.
"Get up," Robbie tells him.
"What?" Simon asks.
"I said, get up," Robbie says again. Simon stands scoots out of the booth and stands up. Robbie then
scoots over and stands up.
"You want to talk outside or something?" Simon asks.
"No," Robbie tells him. "I wanted you to get up so I could get out. I'll meet up with everyone at home."
With that Robbie walks out of the restraunt.
"Should I go talk to him?" Simon asks.
"No," Matt and Lucy say in unison.
"Simon, you made him feel trapped," Matt tells him. "He probably thinks that the only reason you asked
him to go out tonight was to question him."
"Well, that was the general idea," Simon tells him.
"Oh, Simon!" Matt exclaims. "I can't believe you! You're worse than dad."
"Simon, you have to be a friend first," Lucy informs him. "Unless you're a professional and people seek you
out for help and advice, people won't confide in you until you've earned their trust."
"You don't think I've earned Robbie's trust? He's been living with us for quite some time now," Simon tells
him.
"Yes he has, Simon, but I also haven't noticed you two hanging out together very much," Matt replies.
"Just hang out with him more. Go to the gym together and work out, go shoot hoops at the park or in the
driveway, work on a car together, but don't just expect him to lay all his burdens down for you." Simon
sinks back into the booth.
"Should one of you go after him?" Simon asks.
"He's old enough to take care of himself," Matt tells him. "He's not a child."
"Dad wouldn't let me go out like that," Simon replies.
"That's because your not 18 yet," Matt replies. "But with mom and dad it wouldn't matter since they got
that parental instinct about them. But you, Lucy, and I don't have that yet in our lives. So we're just
going to let him go for now."
To be continued.......................................................
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